On Monday, June 4, 2012, the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Tribe of Potawatomi Indians (“Gun Lake”) distributed its third revenue sharing payment to state and local governments since the opening of the Gun Lake Casino in February of 2011. Additionally, on May 23, 2012, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe announced its annual 2 percent distribution to local units of government and public schools.

Gun Lake has handed out more than $8 million to its respective state and local governments this year. This brings Gun Lake’s total monetary contributions to the state to over $17.4 million since the casinos grand opening. Allotments of $1.6 million and $6.47 million were respectively distributed to local and state municipal school leaders at Baker Elementary School, in Wayland, on Monday. The $8.07 million distributed is based on an electronic gaming revenues percentage set by the tribal-state compact. The total sum of $8.07 million is up from Gun Lake’s most recent payment of $7.8 million from late last November.

According to Frank Cloutier, public relations director of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, $2.19 million of the Tribes annual 2% distribution will be shared by local units of government and public schools in Isabella county and approximately $646,000 will be spread amongst local units of government in Northern Bay and Arenac counties. While revenues have not increased since the tribe’s distribution last fall, the number of requests for a share of the distribution is steadily increasing. The tribe received 523 total requests for distributions, with local units of government submitting 118 requests and local school boards submitting 405 requests.

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The Michigan Gaming Newsletter would like to thank Peter Stern and Scott Nuyttens for their contributions to this issue.